
THE LESSON
written, 'The government shall be upon His
shoulder,' is the Wonderful Counselor."—
The Desire of Ages,
page 363.
"Christ, the Word, the Only Begotten of
God, was one with the eternal Father,—one
in nature, in character, in purpose,—the only
being that could enter into all the counsels
and purposes of God
And the Son of
God declares concerning Himself: 'The Lord
possessed Me in the beginning of His way,
before His works of old. I was set up from
everlasting. . . . When He appointed the
foundations of the earth, then I was by Him,
as one brought up with Him ; and I was
daily His delight, rejoicing always before
Him."—Patriarchs and Prophets,
page 34.
In the counsels of eternity Christ was
present, and even at that time He was a
Wonderful Counselor. He is the same today.
Mighty God.
There are some who would
belittle Christ and make Him a created be-
ing. Such have no conception of the dishonor
they thus heap upon Him. Christ is God, He
is "mighty God."
The Everlasting Father.
To make even
more sure that Christ is accorded the honor
of Godhood, He is here called the Everlast-
ing Father. This gives Christ the honor of
equality with the Father Himself. The two
are one, in honor, in character, in purpose,
but not in person. Christ Himself says, "All
men should honor the Son even as they
honor the Father." John 5:23. If Christ
were not God, and God in the highest sense,
this would be the highest blasphemy.
The Prince of Peace.
At the birth of Christ
the angels sang, "Glory to God in the high-
est, and on earth peace, good will toward
men." Luke 2:14. Christ came to bring
peace to earth among men and nations, but
mostly to bring peace to troubled souls,
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give
unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid." John 14:27.
3. What was indicated as to the
nature of His reign? Isa. 9:7, first part.
Introduction
"Darkness, distress, anguish, and gloom
will be dispelled and God's glorious light will
take its place in the world,
for
the gift of
heaven to earth is to come in the person of
a holy Child. What a transformation His
coming is to make! Even Isaiah at the
distance of seven hundred years is able to
describe something of the glory of it. Divine
wisdom, divine might, divine fatherhood,
and divine peace are to come as a result of
His reign on the earth. These four pairs of
names for the Messiah emphasize His di-
vinity. The coming King is wise, is mighty,
is to be a guardian of His people, and will
bring into the world a heavenly peace."—
Kyle M. Yates,
Preaching From the Proph-
ets,
page 93.
The Pre-eminent Son
1.
In what words was the hope of
the Messiah set forth? Isa. 9:6, first
part. Compare Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-28.
NOTE.—"It was Satan's purpose to bring
about an eternal separation between God
and man; but in Christ we become more
closely united to God than if we had never
fallen. . . . To assure us of His immutable
counsel of peace, God gave His only-begot-
ten Son to become one of the human family,
forever to retain His human nature. This is
the pledge that God will fulfill His word.
'Unto
us
a child is born, unto
us
a son is
given: and the government shall be upon
his shoulder.' God has adopted human na-
ture in the person of His Son, and has
carried the same into the highest heaven."—
The Desire of Ages,
page 25.
2.
By what significant names is He
called? Isa. 9:6, last part.
NoTE.—Wonderful Counselor.
The Author-
ized Version separates these two words, oth-
ers place them together. As there is nothing
in the original to settle this question, we
may feel free to follow our choice. Christ is
wonderful, however considered. He is also
a wonderful counselor. "He of whom it is
NorE.—When Satan's rule is over, God's
government will be infinitely extended, not
only throughout the earth but also to the
illimitable reaches of the universe.
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